Why Postpartum Nutrition Needs Are Still High (Even After Baby Arrives)

(And Why That “Postpartum Slump” Is Actually Real)

Let’s get something on the table right away: giving birth, whether vaginally, by C-section, or via an unexpected combination of both, is major. Major energy, major change, major physical demand. And yet so often, once the baby arrives, the world expects you to bounce back instantly like a rubber band.

Here’s a little truth: your body isn’t finished doing the hard work just because your baby is in your arms. Even weeks or months after birth, your nutrient needs are still higher than “baseline,” and ignoring that can mean chronic fatigue, slow healing, mood swings, continued hair loss, poor sleep, low milk supply (if you’re breastfeeding), and, let’s be honest, just feeling “off.” New moms don’t get a free pass from biology. And your body deserves support.

Your body spent nine months building a tiny human, growing the placenta, increasing blood volume, shifting hormone levels, preparing bones and muscles for delivery, and stockpiling nutrients for the postpartum period and breastfeeding. Once baby arrives, your body has to shift gears:

• Heal tissues (especially if you had tears, episiotomy, or a C-section incision).

• Rebuild blood volume lost during delivery.

• Maintain milk production for breastfeeding (if you choose to).

• Balance hormones after pregnancy and birth.

• Support immunity while sleep is unpredictable and stress can spike.

That’s no small task. In fact, research shows that even when nutrient needs increase in pregnancy, many women still don’t reach recommended levels, and that trend continues postpartum, particularly for key nutrients like vitamin D, iron, and folate. (1)

So if you’ve ever wondered why you still feel tired or depleted even weeks after giving birth, there’s a physiological reason: your nutrient needs haven’t gone back to “normal.”

Breastfeeding is a beautiful thing, but it’s also biologically expensive.

During lactation, your body prioritizes making milk first, meaning nutrients in your diet come out in your breast milk before your own stores get refilled. That’s why:

• Vitamins and minerals like vitamin D, iron, iodine, B vitamins, and essential fatty acids are often delivered in breast milk even if your own levels are low. (3)

• Breastfeeding moms can deplete their nutrient stores faster than they can rebuild them. (3)

• Your energy needs stay higher than pre-pregnancy levels, even more so than during pregnancy in some cases. (2)

In other words, if you’re breastfeeding, your body isn’t just recovering from birth; it’s actively sharing nutrients with your baby every single day.

Let’s talk specifics, because “nutrition” isn’t one thing; it’s a whole orchestra of background players that keep your body running.

🔹 Iron

Childbirth often involves significant blood loss. Iron is essential for regaining healthy blood cell levels and preventing anemia, which shows up as extreme fatigue, dizziness, and general “blah.” Many women remain iron-deficient postpartum. (2)

🔹 Vitamin D

Vitamin D supports bone health, immune function, and mood. It’s notoriously low in many people, and postpartum women are especially vulnerable if they’re indoors more and/or breastfeeding. (6)

🔹 Calcium & Magnesium

These minerals support bone strength and muscle function, and magnesium also helps with sleep and nervous-system balance, a big deal when your sleep is not your own. (2)

🔹 B Vitamins

B12 and folate help with energy, red blood cell production, and neurological function, useful literally from your toes to your brain fog. (6)

🔹 Omega-3s (Especially DHA)

DHA supports everything from your brain health to your baby’s neural and vision development through breast milk, and many women don’t get enough through diet alone. (6)

🔹 Choline

Often underplayed, choline supports brain function and mood regulation. Roughly 90% of pregnant and lactating women don’t get enough from their diets. (7)

Ideally, nutrition comes from whole foods. But here’s the honest truth: postpartum life can mean:

• No predictable eating schedule

• Little time to cook balanced meals

• Erratic sleep

• Stress eating that’s more about survival than ideal nutrient balance

Your body still needs nutrients even when time, energy, or appetite aren’t cooperating. That’s where intelligent supplementation fits in, not as a replacement for good food, but as insurance for your recovery and health during a period when your body is working overtime.

You might be thinking, “I’m done with pregnancy, do I really still need a prenatal vitamin?”

Short answer: yes, for many women. (4) Major health organizations and experts often recommend continuing prenatal-type multivitamins through postpartum because:

• They’re formulated with the nutrients that support both maternal recovery and breastfeeding demands (if breastfeeding). (5)

• They can help replenish what was lost during pregnancy and delivery. (2)

• They address nutrients many diets fall short on (like DHA, choline, and iron). (3)

That’s why we created Dynamic Duo® AM/PM Prenatal & Postnatal, designed for 24/7 support with targeted AM energy and PM relaxation nutrients. It delivers 25 essential vitamins and minerals, including Choline, Iron, DHA, Magnesium, and more, plus an AM/PM design that helps with absorption and digestive comfort.* 

Using a thoughtfully formulated prenatal-postnatal multivitamin during the postpartum period isn’t just “okay”, it’s a proactive way to replenish your reserves so you can keep giving your body what it needs.

Here’s the heart of it:

Your body has been through a major physiological event. It didn’t clock out once baby arrived; it just switched to a new, demanding job description.

So if you feel tired, depleted, or like your recovery is taking forever, that’s not a failure or a fluke. It’s biology. And with the right nourishment, rest, and support, you will get stronger.

You deserve to be nourished, not just for baby, but for you.

1. Aparicio E, et al. Nutrient Intake during Pregnancy and Post-Partum: ECLIPSES Study. Nutrients. 2020 May 7;12(5):1325.

2. Abbott Nutrition postpartum nutrition tips — outlines key nutrients like iron, vitamin C, calcium, and iodine for recovery and breastfeeding. (nutritionnews.abbott)

3. Carretero-Krug A, et al. Nutritional Status of Breastfeeding Mothers and Impact of Diet and Dietary Supplementation: A Narrative Review. Nutrients. 2024 Jan 19;16(2):301.

4. Nutrition for Optimal Lactation, Karger (2025) — breastfeeding associated with increased nutrient demand. (Karger Publishers)

5. Nebraska Medicine postpartum nutrition guidance — recommends continuing prenatal vitamins while breastfeeding. (Nebraska Medicine)

6. Abbott Nutrition. 5 Important Nutrients for Postpartum Recovery. (family.abbott)

7. National Institutes of Health. US Department of Health Human Services – Health Professionals Facts Sheet (fact sheet)